Chapter 38: The Nine Realms
Chen Ping'an looked skeptical, while Ning Yao glared at him, pointing at the string of characters. "It really does say 'Roll'! This fist technique was understood from watching the rain at Great Li; the momentum of the fist is a rolling force, the fist aura like splashing ink rain, falling into the mortal world, then rolling along the dragon wall of the Great Li imperial palace, pouring straight down!"
Chen Ping'an focused on the few completed in one go fist technique diagrams, arranged like deploying troops and setting up formations, all squeezed within a single page. So each drawing of a figure throwing a punch was quite small, and the charcoal strokes weren't all that meticulous. It was a good thing Chen Ping'an had sharp eyes—even in the dim lamplight, he could still see every detail without mistake. Hearing those words from Miss Ning that he didn't quite understand, the boy murmured, "It sounds like this fist technique is pretty fierce."
Ning Yao leaned her head over slightly, looking at the diagrams, and nodded. "There is a fist technique that has been passed down in the martial world for several thousand years without being lost. It's somewhat similar to this fist technique's diagram."
Chen Ping'an turned his head, curious. "How so?"
In the dim yellow lamplight, the girl's long eyebrows curved slightly, like a spring breeze bending a branch of peach blossoms.
She held back a smile and said, "In the martial world, there's a fist technique suitable for all ages called the 'Wild Punches'—just swing wildly, and it's sure to beat an old master to death."
The boy said helplessly, "How can you say that?"
Chen Ping'an imagined it in his mind. Wasn't this precisely Gu Can's specialty and signature move? As he remembered, many years ago, Gu Can's mother had also been involved in an unpleasant dispute, in front of a powder shop in Xinghua Alley. Back then, Gu Can had just learned to walk. Gu Can's father, being an outsider and rarely home, had long been forgotten by the neighbors in Niping Alley. At that time, the women began to worry—they feared that when their own men passed by the widow Gu's door, they would involuntarily slow their steps. Just the women's clothes drying on the bamboo pole were enough to steal men's souls away. Later on, Granny Ma gathered five or six women and went together to block the widow Gu's courtyard door. In that battle, the widow Gu suffered quite a bit, but Granny Ma and the others didn't gain much advantage either; it was a Pyrrhic victory. But as it went on, the widow Gu was outnumbered, and two fists couldn't beat four hands. Even her clothes were torn. Her attire was thin anyway, and for a moment, she couldn't help but reveal some skin, which drove the already jealous women mad—they scratched, clawed, bit, and did everything they could, while the men around the alley just swallowed their saliva watching.
Fortunately, Chen Ping'an happened to be returning from the Dragon Kiln to the small town. Having been looked after by the widow Gu for so many years, he went up and blocked many of the insidious moves aimed at Gu Can's mother. From start to finish, the straw-sandaled boy didn't dare fight back. It wasn't that Chen Ping'an was afraid of trouble; it was that he feared one punch might kill someone.
Back then, the boy had already walked countless mountains and rivers under Old Man Yao's shouts and curses. At only twelve or thirteen, he had already traveled paths that many old folks in the town never walked in a lifetime.
That time, the boy and the woman sat at the entrance of the courtyard. Gu Can was shut inside the whole time—probably because she didn't want her child to see his mother's wretched state.
The boy turned his head and pointed to the corner of his mouth, indicating to the woman.
The woman casually pursed her lips, then extended her thumb and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth heavily.
The child cried heart-wrenchingly in the yard, shouting "Mother" over and over.
The woman first smiled at the straw-sandaled boy, then, in a moment, tears rolled from her eyes.
The next day, the straw-sandaled boy had an unwilling burden stuck by his side.
Ning Yao's question interrupted Chen Ping'an's wistful thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"
Chen Ping'an asked, "Do you think Gu Can and his mother, after leaving the town and following the River-Cutting True Lord to that Scroll Lake, can really live a good life?"
Ning Yao retorted, "Do you think they lived badly in Niping Alley?"
Chen Ping'an thought it over. "That kid Gu Can has no conscience and is still young. He definitely didn't think life was hard. But Gu Can's mother... I don't think she would consider the town a good place, especially the women of Niping Alley and Xinghua Alley. She doesn't like any of them. And I feel that Gu Can's mother seems like she wasn't meant to be in this town. She always seemed very unwilling, full of regrets. If Old Man Yao had a saying, it would be 'When a man's heart is unsettled, it's called ambition far away; when a woman's heart is unsettled, it's called a red apricot branch leaning over the wall.' I think that's not quite right..."
Ning Yao suddenly straightened up and slammed the table. "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you still want to learn the fist manual or not?!"
Chen Ping'an was startled. "Miss Ning, please continue."
Ning Yao said irritably, "Talking about cultivation with you is meaningless, because you're destined not to cultivate. So I can only talk to you about martial arts, about the martial path."
Chen Ping'an was about to say something, but the girl continued on her own, "The martial arts of the world are divided into nine realms. Of course, some say there is actually a tenth realm above the nine, just as the great dynasties keep a group of go players-in-waiting..."
Speaking of this, the girl's mood improved again. She smiled and asked, "Chen Ping'an, do you know what a 'go player-in-waiting' is?"
Chen Ping'an of course honestly shook his head.
The girl's face lit up with pride. "In the game of Go, the rank of Ninth Dan is the highest, equivalent to a top-tier official in the court. But some once-in-a-century geniuses are hailed as 'Tenth-Dan National Players.' These people then have various flashy titles. In your Great Li Dynasty, the go players-in-waiting are especially embarrassing. I've heard that your Ninth Dan only equals the Seventh Dan strength of the Sui Dynasty. In all of Great Li, there's only one fellow nicknamed 'Embroidery Tiger' who is truly regarded as a rival by the Sui chess world. Oh, by the way, do you know what Go is?"
Chen Ping'an nodded. "Yes, and I know the rules a bit, but I don't know how to play. Song Jixin and Zhigui have a board and pieces at home."
The girl was very disappointed. "That's too bad."
She had gone on a tangent, and the boy still didn't know what the "nine realms" actually were.
Realizing she was unreliable, she coughed and said solemnly, "My mother once said, 'The Nine Realms of martial arts are like steps on a staircase. But even when you reach the peak of the Ninth Realm, the final sight is like being on a mountain and looking at another mountain in the distance—you only see its halfway point.'"
Chen Ping'an seemed to understand. "I get it."
Because the boy had personally witnessed that scene.
The girl didn't care whether he truly understood. "The Nine Realms of martial arts are divided into Body Refining, Qi Refining, and Spirit Refining, each with three stages. You climb step by step, can't afford to miss or make a mistake. The more solid you walk, the better; speed is not that important. This is somewhat different from cultivation."
"The three stages of Body Refining: the first is the 'Mud Embryo Realm.' From the name, you can tell it's as rough as Niping Alley where your house is. But when you reach the peak and perfection, your body is like a clay bodhisattva—though made of mud, it still has a certain majestic aura. Qi sinks into the dantian, immovable as a mountain, meaning you've truly entered the martial path. In short, the essence of this stage lies in the characters 'disperse' and 'sink.' A martial artist's talent, comprehension, and the master who leads them—everything becomes apparent immediately."
"The second stage is the 'Wooden Embryo Realm.' It means your physique begins to transform from coarse to fine. When you reach great success, the texture of your skin becomes dense and orderly, as if your entire body is engraved with talismans—like... yes, like this serpent gallstone you fished out of the creek. Compared to ordinary cobblestones, its interior is already completely different. The deeper meaning of this realm is 'opening mountains'—widening the meridians, turning narrow goat paths into broad highways that can accommodate carriages. The quality of a martial artist's bone structure becomes clear and decisive at this realm."
As she spoke, the black-clad girl held up the stone the boy had given her, high in the air.
Gazing at the beautiful stone illuminated by the lamp, she said softly, "The final stage of Body Refining is called the 'Quicksilver Mirror Realm.' The blood becomes thick as quicksilver, yet lighter, and qi and blood consolidate into one. To break through the threshold, you must pass a tribulation called 'A Clay Bodhisattva Crossing the River.' Whether you can successfully cross that final threshold, like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, depends on the martial artist's luck."
Chen Ping'an listened in a daze, staring at the oil lamp. The flame flickered, and his mind swayed with it.
The girl yawned and slumped onto the table, saying lazily, "That's about enough. The three realms of Body Refining already block off eighty percent of martial artists who achieve rank; it's difficult to go any further. You should know the principle that the poor study literature and the rich study martial arts. My homeland aside, it's the same everywhere else in the world. With your background and your comprehension, I estimate you should be grateful if you can reach the second realm in this life."
Chen Ping'an asked, "How do I practice this fist manual then?"
The girl raised an eyebrow. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. I'm a bit sleepy."
Chen Ping'an said "Mm," then "I'll go pick stones with the basket and come find you tomorrow, Miss Ning."
The girl said, "If you trust me, leave the manual here. I'll look it over again to see if there are any mistakes or if it's a trap."
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Sure. But Miss Ning, please be careful. This Mountain-Shaking Manual I have to return to Gu Can intact someday."
The girl turned her head and frowned. "How many times do you have to say it before you're at ease?!"
The boy smiled and went to the corner to pick up his bamboo basket. As he left the room, he didn't forget to remind her, "Miss Ning, don't forget to lock the courtyard door."
The girl slumped on the table without turning around, waving her hand weakly. "I know, I know. Why are you even more long-winded than my father?"
The boy moved as lightly as a swallow, his figure disappearing into the alley.
When Chen Ping'an had roughly left Niping Alley, the girl immediately sat up straight, staring at the Mountain-Shaking Manual with a look of deep hostility, as if it were a mortal enemy. Then her whole body collapsed again, and she slumped over the table, face full of worry, muttering to herself, "How in the world am I supposed to teach this? Since birth, I've had the best sword immortal physique in the world. Why do I need to walk these foothill paths? I can't even remember the names of the three hundred and sixty-five acupoints, and as for how qi circulates naturally, I've known that since I was in the womb..."
The girl scratched her head with both hands, utterly distressed.
Suddenly, a timid voice came from outside the door. "Miss Ning?"
Ning Yao stiffly turned her head and saw a very punch-worthy dark face.
She put on a stern expression and said nothing.
The boy swallowed nervously and said apologetically, "I was afraid you'd forget to lock the door, so I came to remind you. Also, if you get hungry tonight, I can go to Liu Xianyang's house first and make some late-night snacks to bring over, then head to the creek."
The girl waved her hand grandly.
The boy immediately fled.
All the way, Chen Ping'an's mind was filled with the diagrams of the first fist technique.
The fist moves, the body shifts, the feet never leave the ground, like wading through mud, momentum like heavy snow knee-deep, moving slowly.
The boy didn't even notice that when he tried to practice the fist frame according to the diagram, he unconsciously changed the speed and length of each breath.
The boy even had a whimsical thought: wouldn't it be better to practice in the creek water?
---
Before Qi Jingchun were two seals carved from the finest serpent gallstone, both small and yet to be engraved with seal script.
During the day, that young scholar with a temperament as warm and smooth as jade had visited the village school. After their private conversation, the Confucian gentleman who had come from afar asked him a question: "Master, would you like to inherit someone's wish and continue to bring peace to the world for ten thousand generations?"
Qi Jingchun had replied at the time, "Let me consider it."
This was clearly not a very satisfactory answer, but the young gentleman, famous across half the continent, did not press. After chatting with the long-admired Master Qi about the town's local customs and the changes beyond the town, he took his leave.
From beginning to end, the young gentleman did not ask about how to dispose of the jade plaque.
But Qi Jingchun knew full well that this gentleman from the Confucian Academy of Eastern Treasure Vase Continent could be patient. The pair of golden boy and jade girl from the Daoist sect, the scripture-guarding monks from the Buddhist great and small meditation temples, the renowned ascetic monk who roamed far and wide, and the representative of the military school—these three factions would likely not bother with the face of Mountain Cliff Academy, and especially would not heed his Qi Jingchun's wishes. They would definitely retrieve their respective sacred artifacts without hesitation.
But all this was expected.
Qi Jingchun sat upright, holding the engraving knife, finding it unusually difficult to decide what seal script to carve. "'Sacrifice life to achieve benevolence, give up life to attain righteousness'—that seems too heavy for that child. Inappropriate and inauspicious. 'Peace settle in tranquility, uprightness establish in correctness'—isn't that too vague? But if I just casually carve two hasty seals, that would seem too insincere?"
Qi Jingchun turned his head to look at the night sky outside the window. In the darkness, stars dotted the sky like night pearls hanging on a black curtain.
Qi Jingchun was lost in thought for a long time before he came back to himself. He picked up a seal and began to carve.
Finally, he engraved the four archaic seal characters "Tranquil Mind Attains Meaning", with the leading character "Tranquil" being the most full of spirit, encompassing all.
Qi Jingchun gently set down the seal, with the base inscription facing up.
He felt relieved.
The Confucian scholar with graying temples felt a stir in his heart, casually waved his sleeve, and on the table, "wind and water arose," mountains and rivers unfolded one after another.
Finally, Qi Jingchun focused his gaze and saw, in the shabby ancestral home in the town's humble alley, a boy and a girl sitting side by side, discussing the general situation of the Nine Realms of martial arts.
Above the Nine Realms of martial arts, there was a Tenth Realm.
Qi Jingchun had long read ten thousand volumes of books and was no stranger to court and martial world, so naturally he knew about martial arts.
A hint of a smile appeared on his almost rigid face.
So the Confucian sage, who governed a corner of the world, made a harmless joke.
He carved three characters on the second private seal.
Chen Shiyi. (Chen Eleven)